What characters are not allowed in UCAS personal statement?

Common symbols not allowed are €, long dashes (–) and the special quote characters “ ' ' ” which will simply be removed from your statement.

What should you avoid in a UCAS personal statement?

Don't make unsupported claims. 'I am the best student you will see all year' doesn't go down too well, even if you think you can prove it! Don't copy someone else's UCAS personal statement or use something you have found on the internet.

Does your UCAS personal statement have to be 4000 characters?

Remember, it can only be 4,000 characters, which is about two sides of A4. So, you'll need to use your words wisely to fit everything in. You can find a full guide on How to start a personal statement: the attention grabber, but here are the main things to think about.

Can my personal statement be 2000 characters?

Personal statement – practicalities

4000 characters (not words, so includes spaces) or 47 lines of text, whichever comes first. No formatting such as bold, underline or italics.

Is it 4000 characters with spaces?

The maximum number of characters is 4000, and this includes spaces.

What NOT To Write In A Personal Statement | UCAS Uni Applications

What is the character limit for the UCAS personal statement?

UCAS personal statement word limit

Your personal statement length can be up to 4,000 characters long. This may sound a lot, but it's a word limit of around 550–1000 words with spaces and only about 1 side of typed A4 paper.

What is the character limit for the UCAS personal statement including spaces?

There are some specific instructions for your personal statement that you can never ignore. First, it must not exceed 4,000 characters or 47 lines of text (including blank lines), whichever comes first. If you do exceed this, the university will not get your entire statement.

Are UCAS getting rid of personal statements?

Personal statements have always been an essential part of the university application process. However, UCAS has decided to scrap personal statements in their traditional form. They will now be replaced by a new three-question structure.

Can a personal statement be 3500 characters?

There's a limit on how much you can write: your personal statement can be up to 4,000 characters (including spaces) or 47 lines of 95 characters (including spaces); whichever is shorter. This may appear generous (read: long) but once you've got going you may find yourself having to edit heavily.

How do I shorten my UCAS personal statement?

Is UCAS 4000 characters or 47 lines?

You can use up to 4,000 characters (including spaces, headings and line breaks) or 47 lines of text whichever comes first. All references must be written in English.

What is the minimum character count for UCAS?

You can only write 47 lines and a maximum of 4,000 characters. There is also a minimum of 1,000 characters, use your limit wisely.

What makes a good UCAS personal statement?

Give examples of any related academic or work experience. Show you know what the course will involve and mention any special subjects you're interested in. Demonstrate who you are by listing any positions you've held, memberships of teams or societies, and interests and hobbies. Show consistency in your five UCAS ...

What is the best opening sentence for a personal statement?

Start with a short sentence that captures the reason why you're interested in studying the area you're applying for and that communicates your enthusiasm for it. Don't waffle or say you want to study something just because it's interesting. Explain what you find interesting about it.

What is an example of a successful UCAS personal statement?

Example: “After having many varied experiences, I truly think I can contribute to university in a positive way, and would love to study in England where I believe I would gain more skills and education doing a first degree than in any other country. “

How should I structure my UCAS personal statement?

Include details of jobs, placements, work experience or voluntary work, particularly if it's relevant to your chosen course(s). Try to link any experience to skills or qualities related to the course. Explain what you've been doing since leaving education, and provide additional evidence to support your application.

Does UCAS count spaces as characters?

What is the UCAS personal statement word count? UCAS does not specify a certain number of words. However, the personal statement is limited to 4,000 characters including spaces.

Should I use all characters in personal statement?

You do not have to fill all of the available space. In fact, a more cogent, focused personal statement that falls short of 5,300 characters will always be stronger than one that's forcibly lengthened by digressions or irrelevant material.

How many characters is too short for a personal statement?

It's a good idea to aim for 3,500 characters in your first draft, and then you can add or remove words accordingly. For the finished piece, try to get as near to the word count as possible – anything too short might not have enough detail, and anything too long will get cut off. Need more personal statement advice?

Should I leave lines between paragraphs in UCAS personal statement?

Aim for 4-‐5 paragraphs: STRUCTURE! UCAS strips out all special forma ng such as bold, indents, tabs, mul-ple spaces with the single excep-on of blank lines. Use blank lines inbetween paras to make it easy to read. Proofread your statement carefully and ask others to check it for you too.

Can I go over the 47 lines UCAS personal statement?

A personal statement can be no more than 4,000 characters. This is generally between 570 and 1,000 words. Your statement can only be 47 lines long. Your statement will only be accepted if it is within the character count set forward by UCAS.

Why are they stopping personal statements?

But it also found 79% of students said the personal statement was difficult to write without support and 83% found writing a personal statement to be stressful. The removal of the personal statement in its current form is intended to make applying to university more inclusive and supportive, says Kristel.

How do you cut down characters in a personal statement?

Substitute phrases for single words. Use one-word connectors instead of phrases. Modify sentence structure by starting the sentence with an adverb. Combine short sentences.

Do you need line breaks in personal statement?

It can sometimes be tempting to write one long paragraph to make the most out of the character limit, but it's important admissions, and academic staff can read it easily, so don't forget paragraphs and line breaks. Formatting your personal statement into three paragraphs is a good way of making sure it stays focused.

How to end a personal statement?

A good way to finish your personal statement is to summarise your overall goal or aim when moving forwards towards this job and your career. This means you have spoken about the past, present and future, in just a few lines and gives the employer a good idea of you and your potential.